


The Stormy Night

by browney3dgirl6



Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Boyfriends, Established Relationship, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Death, Not Canon Compliant, Panic Attacks, Paranoia, Prompt Fic, Protective Deran, Thunder and Lightning, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:15:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27068491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/browney3dgirl6/pseuds/browney3dgirl6
Summary: Deran and Adrian have a new neighbor. Adrian is paranoid-Deran thinks he's overreacting.
Relationships: Deran Cody & Adrian Dolan, Deran Cody/Adrian Dolan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29
Collections: Animal Kingdom ▶ Deran Cody / Adrian Dolan, Whumptober 2020





	The Stormy Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second prompt fulfillment for Whumptober. This takes care of prompt 18-Panic! At the disco
> 
> I got my inspiration for this one from one of my favorite movies-Disturbia. Enjoy (:
> 
> ***signify POV change

Adrian flew out of a deep sleep, immediately sitting up and flinging an arm out, but the other side of the bed lay cold. He let out a deep breath and tried to unstick himself from the sheets as he got up to glance out the window. The glow from the clock reflected off the window and he turned to look at the time-2:00am, Deran should be off and heading home soon.

A loud crack of thunder startled Adrian’s view back to the rain covered window. It wasn’t the storm that was making him jumpy tonight, ok it was part of it, but mainly it was what lay beyond the storm and across the way-their new neighbor. The older guy had moved in a couple months ago, and Adrian hadn’t felt right since.

The guy was always acting strange and doing weird things at all hours of the night. Adrian had woken up on more than one occasion to find him dragging large black trash bags from the garage and hammering away inside at who knows what. The first time Adrian brushed it off, the second he just thought it was weird, but each time he witnessed it after that his stomach churned more. He’d tried to tell Deran about all of the unusual things he’d seen, but Deran only brushed him off, saying that he was being paranoid.

The motion lights flicked on across the way; Adrian crept closer to the window to get a better view. It was difficult to see past the storm, but Adrian could just make out their creepy neighbor Mr. Douglass, who was pacing back and forth down below. _Who the hell paces at this time of night out in this weather? THUD!_

_Shit, shit, shit._

Adrian had leaned too close to the window, knocking his phone straight into the glass, creating a loud sound. Mr. Douglass’ head immediately looked up and Adrian dove for the floor. He sat there curled up under the window for what felt like hours, but he didn’t have the courage to stand up and glare out the window.

He crawled back to the bed and promptly hid under the covers, hoping Mr. Douglass couldn’t see him from there. The storm carried on outside and lightning illuminated the window before thunder boomed through the sky once more. Adrian shivered, he needed his personal heater and protector.

 _‘R u cming hme soon?’_ he sent the text and waited impatiently for his boyfriends reply.

_‘Omw n a few. Need ur thunder buddy? (;’_

Adrian rolled his eyes at his ever so charming man, and replied, ‘ _Y, I need u.’_ He hadn’t meant to text that literally, but it was true, he was scared and he wanted Deran home-now.

Deran obviously recognized the paranoia in Adrian’s text as he replied quickly with, _‘B hme soon. Promise.’_

_~_

The minutes on the clock ticked by slower than waiting in line at the DMV, and Adrian kicked the blankets back off for the umpteenth time. He was cold but anxious, so he kept having hot flashes and panicked about being caught up in the blankets.

It was coming up on 2:30am now and Adrian decided to brave the window again. He usually loved to watch storms with Deran; hell, they’d even surfed in them before, but he hated being alone in storms-especially with creepy ass neighbors nearby.

Mr. Douglass yard seemed to be quiet for the moment, and he couldn’t spot him lurking anywhere outside. He pulled the window up slightly to let in a little cool air, hoping the wind wouldn’t bring the rain inside.

A noise from down below caused him to panic once more as his dark blues scattered across the ground outside. A light came on in Mr. Douglass downstairs and Adrian squinted to make anything out. He began back away from the window to keep himself from bumping into it again, when he bumped into something else-someone else. Adrian yelped in surprise and spun around raising his fist, connecting it square with his boyfriends’ jaw.

Deran rubbed at his jawline, “Fuck A, you expecting someone else?” Adrian’s eyes widened as he started apologizing to Deran profusely; “Der, I’m _so_ sorry! It . . . it’s that weirdo neighbor next door and this storm. They’re freaking me out man!” Deran pulled him in close, wrapping him snug in his arms. “Ok, ok, calm down. I’m here now.” Adrian snuggled in closer, “Shouldn’t I be the one comforting you?” Deran snickered close to his ear, “Nah, think I deserved the sucker punch after all these years, huh?” Adrian winced slightly at the memory, happy they were far past that and could laugh about it now.

Deran poked him in the ribs softly, “Come on Mr. Paranoid, I’ll treat you to a nice hot shower.” Adrian followed him willingly, letting Deran pull him into their bathroom and eventually to the steaming shower. Their blues met and Adrian leaned in to give him a chaste kiss, trying to avoid hurting him. He felt Deran flinch slightly, so he pulled back to look him over. His jaw already looked somewhat swollen with a purple tint to it. “Jesus Der, I’m so sorry.” Deran cupped his cheeks and brought him in for a hard kiss, sending chills down Adrian’s spine as he leaned into it.

Deran breathed into his mouth, “Who said I didn’t like a little pain?” Adrian chuckled faintly and let Deran box him in. “You’re crazy D.” Trapping himself against him more, Deran whispered back, “Only for you.”

They tried to get each other off but gave up after several failed attempts-Adrian kept ‘hearing things’ and he had hit Deran harder than they’d thought.

~

They were finally lying in bed snuggled close to one another, when the storm began to pick up again, vibrating the windows as thunder exploded. Adrian stirred in Deran’s arms once more; he just couldn’t relax, even in the protection of his hold.

“A, I swear if you move _one_ more time.” He figured the threat was empty as his boyfriend was beat from his long shift at the bar and getting nearly knocked out by Adrian, but he couldn’t be too sure. “I’m sorry D, I just. . . I don’t know, something’s off.” He felt Deran breath out a sigh from where he was tucked under his head. Deran pulled him in closer and linked their fingers together. “I promise I won’t let the storm or creepy neighbor dude get you. Just relax babe.”

Lightning flashed from the window and the seconds until the thunder came increased-it was moving away. Burying his head in the crook of Deran’s arm, he breathed in his scent of ocean mixed with booze, and stilled his thoughts letting the comforting smells lull him to sleep.

~

He was dreaming of surfing when a loud wave crashed like breaking glass and startled him awake.

Deran was passed out next to him flat on his back, while Adrian’s head rested on his arm. Adrian lifted himself off the bed and crept to the window slowly-no sightings of Mr. Douglass or his eerie lights.

Making his way out of their bedroom and to the kitchen, he stopped when he felt a cool breeze blowing in. The kitchen window had been shattered through the center and the blinds beat back and forth with the woosh of the wind. His heartrate automatically sped up as his panic mode set in. He approached the window cautiously, noticing a branch was somewhat sticking through the hole. He could relax a little at that, knowing the window broke from the storm and not their psycho neighbor.

Adrian tried pushing the branch back out but only nicked his fingers on the broken glass. _Dammit!_

Wandering back to the bedroom, he knelt over Deran and tried to shove him awake, which was an impossible task when he was dead asleep like this. “D, come on. _Wake up!_ ” He considered slugging him in the jaw again, but thought better of it.

Grabbing Deran’s hoodie on the way, he stumbled back into the kitchen and took a flashlight from the drawer before making his way outside.

The rain was coming down heavy, leaving large puddles in its wake, the wind swirling them all around. As he opened the door and walked around to the window, he was quickly drenched from head to toe.

The window somehow managed to look worse from the outside and Adrian went straight to work trying to remove the tree branch. _Splash, splash._ Adrian nearly cut his hand open sliding it down the glass when he heard the sound of shoes hitting puddles. “Deran?” No one answered. Adrian’s chest began to beat heavily as he swung his head to look in each direction. _Its’ just an animal or something._ He didn’t believe it, not really.

He’d finally freed the branch from the window, stopping to wipe the blood on his fingers onto Deran’s jacket-certainly not the first time it’d been coated in blood, he was sure. The ‘walk to surf’ idea popped into his head, and before he knew it, he was heading down the path to the beach.

He stood in the muddy sand, taking in the beauty of the ocean in a storm-Deran would love it. Sleep dawned on him, finally catching up, so he turned to head back home, back to Deran.

He heard it before he saw it, but it was too late-she was dead and he was next.

*******

Deran tried to roll over but his arm was dead asleep; only for Adrian he mused. He reached to gently push Adrian off, only to land on air and mattress. His eyes fluttered open and he scanned the room for his boyfriend, still coming up empty.

He hollered out for him but got no response. He got out of bed, threw on a pair of sweats, and made his way through the house searching for Adrian-nothing.

Panic began to rise, he hated when he couldn’t fin Adrian, especially with how paranoid he’d been acting lately.

Making his way to the front door, he stopped to grab his favorite hoodie, only it was missing. He shook his head chuckling to himself; Adrian was always stealing his shit. The close sound of rain made Deran turn toward the kitchen where he noticed the window had been shattered. He marched over to examine the damage before racing out closer and noticed blood. _Shit_. Maybe Adrian hadn’t just wandered down to the beach after all.

Deran ran back to their bedroom, grabbed another jacket, zipping it halfway before heading out the front door. 

~

The beach was as deserted, as it should be at 5:00am on a stormy day like this, but Adrian _should’ve_ been there-where else could he be?

Deran hated to say it, but maybe Adrian’s paranoia about the neighbor wasn’t so stupid after all.  
He made his way back up the path, double checking each direction as he went-something was definitely off. Before he could talk himself out of it, he approached Mr. Douglass house. He raised a fist to knock, but the door creaked open into the darkened house. “Hello?” Silence. He pushed the door open further glaring inside, but only found darkness.

The downstairs was empty, nothing seemed out of place. The steps creaked slightly as Deran crept up them, one by one, reaching the top and moving forward. Each bedroom appeared more normal than the next; guest room, office, bedroom-no Mr. Douglass and still no sign of Adrian.

It took a lot to freak Deran out, but this was certainly taking the cake. A creaking sound from down below stirred Deran out of his panic and back into action. He scurried down the stairs slowly, stopping when he reached the bottom to scan the floor once more. A light was reflecting off the window from somewhere in the kitchen-he moved toward it. The rug had been pulled back to reveal a-basement door? He moved toward it, halting when he heard shoes coming up the stairs.

Deran tackled Mr. Douglass to the ground before he even knew what was happening. “You son of a bitch! Where is he? Where’s Adrian?” The guy could barely breathe, let alone form words with the chokehold Deran had on him. “Answer me dammit!”

Deran released his grip and punched him square in the jaw, much like Adrian had done to him only hours ago. Blood spewed from his mouth as Deran’s fist connected with his face once more.

“Derrran”

He whipped his head around at the sound of Adrian’s struggled cry for help. “Hold on Adrian, I’m coming!”

Deran turned and stepped down into the dimly lit basement, adjusting his blues to seek out Adrian. “Adrian? Where are you?” A rough hand from behind shoved Deran, sending him flying down the stairs, landing roughly on the concreted floor at the bottom.

He could feel warm liquid trickle down his face as he leapt up from the ground; he would _not_ be a sitting duck. The lights clicked off and all Deran could see was darkness; his chest began to pulse fiercely. 

“Der... please.”

He could hear the panic in his boyfriends muddled voice as his own paranoia began to set in. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and hurriedly turned the flashlight on, shinning it on Mr. Douglass right before he struck him again. Deran veered to the left just in time, sticking his foot out to trip the man who fell awkwardly. Mr. Douglass tried to get back up but Deran was faster, pinning him down to take several more swings at him.

Once he was passed out, Deran took off, hollering for Adrian as he went. The basement covered the entirety of the house, each stretch longer than the next.

Adrian’s cries were closer now, until they were right in front of him. Adrian was shackled in a corner by his ankles, his hands zip-tied together; Deran went to him immediately. He took his face in his hands delicately, “Hey, hey, it’s ok. I’m here now. I’ve got you.” Deran kept his phone light pointed down, he didn’t want to see those deep blues streamed with tears-he could already feel them where his hands held his face.

Adrian was in full panic mode, blurting out sorries and what happened between raspy breaths. Deran used his pocket knife to cut Adrian’s hands loose and brought them over his bare chest where his zipper lay open. He breathed easily, “Feel that? Just listen to the beat of my heart, match yours with mine.” He watched as Adrian closed his eyes and did what he asked; Deran went to work freeing the rest of him.

Once his breathing had slowed, Deran gathered him into his arms tightly, never wanting to let go.

*******

Adrian burrowed into Deran for a few seconds but pulled away when he heard something approaching. His paranoia kicked back into gear, and he began shouting at Deran, “Look! He’s…look out!!” Deran only tried to comfort him, telling him they were safe now. Moments before Deran’s head was bashed in, loud yelling from above made them all freeze.

Deran twisted his head around, finally spotting Mr. Douglass, Adrian never looked away. Mr. Douglass turned and ran but was cut off quickly by a police officer. Adrian breathed out wearily and glued himself to Deran once more.

**-A couple weeks later-**

It was Deran’s first night back at the bar since their deranged neighbor had tried to kidnap and murder Adrian, and he was anxiously waiting for him to get home. Deran wanted to take Adrian with him but Adrian declined, not wanting his paranoia to get the best of him-it was over, after all.

They found out Mr. Douglass had been moving around the area for some time now, luring people back to his beach houses on the strand, where he would torture and kill them in his makeshift basement. That night on the beach, Adrian had witnessed him heaving a rock at some poor girl, causing her to fall to her death. His fear and panic had taken over, leaving him frozen in place until it was too late to escape the sturdy arms that entrapped him and dragged him back to the creepy lair. Mr. Douglass had been in the midst of taping off Adrian’s mouth when something caught his attention upstairs-Deran. Adrian had never been so grateful to hear that raspy voice; his savior. 

~

A sudden noise of movement caused Adrian fear, he couldn’t tell if the new alarm system he had Deran install was helping or not.

Adrian busied himself with some lite tv until he heard the system alert him to Deran’s arrival. He called out just to make sure, “D?” He could almost hear Deran roll his eyes from the other room, but he responded happily, “Just me babe.” He relaxed back into their bed and waited for Deran to join him.

Once his boyfriend was beside him, Adrian molded himself against his bare skin, his body finally unwinding. Adrian rested his head over Deran’s heart and listened intently.

“That your new favorite spot?” Adrian nuzzled in further, “Mmm.” Deran let out a small laugh and bent to kiss his head, wrapping his arms securely around him.

Whenever Adrian felt the panic setting in, he drifted close to Deran and listened to his favorite song play, letting it bring him back to the surface.

Sometimes Deran’s heartbeat would begin to race, and he would whisper softly, “My heart beats for you.” Adrian was ok with that, his did too. He would whisper back, “You’re the only person that can make my heart beat faster and slower, all at the same time.”

Their hearts beat for each other-they always had.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, I tried to write angst, but I got a little fluffy at the end....ooopps (:
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: browney3dgirl6


End file.
